Skipping/Jumping Rope

I recently bought a skipping rope to help strengthen my legs and ankles primarily to help improve my ballroom dancing.

I find skipping a great exercise for the following reasons…

• Simple – 1 piece of lightweight and compact equipment
• Fast – you don’t need to do much to work up a sweat, great cardiovsacular workout
• Cheap – you’ll pay between R20-R50 for a decent rope
• Portable – take it anywhere, you need a small space to exercise
• Co-ordination

Get a rope that requires more effort to swing to get more of an upper body workout. A leather rope swings too easily to really stress your upper body.

Try some variations for a more complete workout

• Both Legs – jump with both legs at the same time
• Alternate Leg – running on the spot
• Arm Crossover – cross your arms in front of you
• Backwards – co-ords and works back more
• 1 Leg – do x on one leg and then switch, keep your other leg under, behind or in front of you [only try this once your fit as it puts quite a bit of strain on your knees]

Trojan Nylon Jump Rope

A great cheap rope – light rope means it takes quite some effort to swing which means more exercise.